An Accessible, Caring Mentor

“What stands out for me personally is the incredible support and mentorship that he has provided to all faculty members, junior and senior,” said Wendy F. Hensel, interim dean and professor of law.

As many will attest, Steve’s leadership at Georgia State Law has been notable in many respects. What stands out for me personally is the incredible support and mentorship that he has provided to all faculty members, junior and senior. I have both been the direct beneficiary of his efforts and had the pleasure of working with him to create a first-rate faculty development program as an associate dean.

Throughout his tenure, Steve has been accessible in ways that are extraordinary given his heavy responsibilities. His door is always open to faculty members, and he genuinely cares about every one of them.

He is not one who holds the role of dean in order to exercise power or to achieve acclaim. Instead, he repeatedly has made clear that his highest priority is to support faculty in their pursuit of teaching and scholarly excellence, particularly those at the beginning of their careers. It is an incredible testament to Steve’s leadership that every person to come up for promotion or tenure under his watch has been successful, despite the reality that Georgia State has raised its standards of excellence exponentially over this period.

His consistent efforts to employ all resources within his control to improve the lives of the faculty will have an impact long after he has stepped down as dean.

—Wendy F. Hensel, associate dean for research and faculty development, will serve as interim dean for the 2017–18 term.